Plant portraits

The hydrangeas are looking lovely, so I thought I would meander round the garden and take a few photos. Above is Coco.

Here is Sundae Fraise (I think) which is just starting to turn pink on the very edges of the petals. 

Merveille Sanguine, which I pruned wrongly in Spring, so only have a couple of flowers - lesson learnt!

Gorgeous Arborescens Annabelle - stunning flowers!

Other plants catching my attention include Agapanthus Silver Baby which is looking so delicate and pretty.

A new plant this year - Lysimachia Clethroides - which is flowering.

The flowers hang down and open from the base.

They are small individually, but make a statement together.

Agapanthus Navy Blue, adding that cool blue/purple to the garden...

...echoed with Hibiscus Oiseau Bleu (I hacked this back last autumn and was worried I had killed it, but it came through the winter and is flowering away now, just not with quite so much abandon, or trying to take over the whole border!

Hydrangeas again - some from the Magical Revolution series.  

The one above was a beautiful blue when it arrived, but has more of a pink colour now, even though it was planted in ericaceous compost.  I did give it some hydrangea colorant, but then found that blue hydrangeas need to have the colorant every year after their first, so I am not sure I want to go down that route.  The pearly pinks and purples are pretty. so perhaps I should be happy with them.

White hydrangeas stay white no matter what soil they are in, and this one is right at the end of the garden, in front of the black fence (which needs repainting...).  This one is Endless Summer White, again pruned wrongly, so only two flowers this year.  Note to self: write down the correct pruning for the macrophylla varieties to remember what to do.

A nice bit of the border with roses, geranium, agapanthus and phlox.

This is a lovely white rose called Winchester Cathedral, with one pink rose on it - not sure how that has happened.  I have removed the pink rose, but took this photo prior to doing that.

The crocosmia will be in flower shortly so will inject some orange into all the pastels.  More plants have been purchased in the last couple of weeks so no doubt they will be featuring.